The Problem With Masks
by AkumaMatata
Summary: Plagg can occasionally be stubborn and vengeful. What happens when he decides to alter Chat Noir's costume? Bad things happen, that's what.
1. Chapter 1

Today had been a pretty good day so far, in Adrien's opinion.

He woke up, went to school, returned home, and was now currently doing his homework. School _had_ been a bit boring, well, except for one thing…

 _Flashback_

Adrien took his normal seat next to Nino right as the bell rang started to ring. The class was reading the first Sherlock Holmes story in the series, and so far they had barely gotten past John Watson and Sherlock Holmes meeting. Adrien sighed. He had already read the story, and started looking around the classroom for something to pay attention to instead. His eyes accidently landed on Chloe across from him, who noticed him in the exact _wrong_ moment. She winked and blew him a kiss, giving him what was supposed to be a flirtatious smile. He gulped in horror and quickly turned back to the teacher. He didn't want a repeat of _that_ , so he figured he better just focus on the story. Hearing the story for a second time sure beat _Chloe._ He shuddered.

The class was just about finished when he heard something behind him, coming from around his head. Was that… breathing? Sniffing? He was just about to turn around to see what was going on when he heard a chair sliding and a very loud squeak. Something, or _someone_ , came crashing down on him. A yelp escaped his lips as his head slammed against his desk.

"OOOOOHHHH MY GOSH I'M SO SORRY!" a familiar voice shrieked in his ear. Adrien groaned as the high-pitched voice nearly broke his eardrums. Dazed, he turned around to see who was on top of him. It was an extremely red Marinette, who had a mortified look plastered on her face. He gave a small chuckle at the sight.

"It's okay…" he started but was cut off Marinette scrambling to get off of him.

"HERE LET ME JUST SCOOCH MYSELF RIGHT OFF OF YOU HEHEHE…" Marinette yelled loudly, pushing her hands against the desk to prop herself up. Adrien knew Marinette wasn't always the most… _coordinated_ person. He was just about to ask her if she needed help, but the words died in his mouth as Marinette's hands slipped off the desk and she came tumbling down. Their heads thunked together rather hard as she landed on him once more. "Owww…" they both groaned simultaneously.

It seemed like Alya and Nino couldn't take it any longer. They started howling with laughter, tears streaming down their faces. Marinette and Adrien both looked up and saw their whole class giving them this look that read 'why must you two be like this.'

"Miss Dupain-Cheng, would you mind removing yourself from Mr. Agreste?" the teacher huffed, arms folded in front of her.

"OH YES, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A TERRIFIC IDEA! YOU, MADAM, ARE QUITE THE GENIUS! I MEAN, OF COURSE YOU ARE, YOU ARE A TEACHER AND ALL…" Marinette hollered as she literally rolled off of Adrien.

"Marinette, there's no need to shout, they can probably hear you throughout the whole school," Alya reminded her, smirking as she raised an eyebrow.

Adrien could faintly make out what Marinette said next. "I can't believed I tried to sniffed his hair…"

Adrien choked on his own spit. Marinette sniffed on his hair?! No, he must have misheard her. Yeah, he definitely misheard her. Alya's laughter was not hard to miss however.

 _End Flashback_

Adrien started chuckling again. Marinette could be so funny sometimes… in an endearing way of course. He looked back at his homework and sighed, squinting his eyes in contemplation. He was nearly done, but he only had a couple of minutes of before patrol started. He figured he was at a pretty good stopping point, so he closed his book and stood up from his chair.

"Plagg, I think I'm going to transform now and be at patrol a bit early. Have you had your cheese yet?"

Plagg perked up at the word cheese. "To be honest, I have, but I wouldn't mind some more! So, in translation, go get me more cheese, human."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "If you already had cheese and are going to act like that, then I think you're just fine for transforming."

Plagg looked at him with shock. "Um, did I stutter? I said I want more cheese, human," he said in a dangerously low voice.

Crossing his arms, Adrien glared at his kwami. "Not with that attitude. I think I'm going to start training you if you keep this behavior up. Besides, any more cheese and you'll get tubby."

Plagg started towards him slowly. "Oh, you had better take that back! And you can't train me, I'm over a thousand years old, immortal, and in charge of _you_."

Adrien simply shrugged. "That may be true, but I'm bigger, so I make the decisions around here."

Plagg started to give him the death glare, but suddenly stopped. An amused look crossed his face instead. "I suppose you have a point. Go ahead and transform, dear boy."

Adrien smiled, thinking he had won. "See, now was that so hard? I knew you could be polite if you tried!"

Plagg just gave him that same look, and nodded his head.

Adrien started to feel a little bit uneasy at his kwami's strange expression, but decided to disregard it for now.

"Plagg, claws out!" he called anyways, pumping his fist in the air.

After he transformed, he moved to the window. He stopped and turned around when he caught sight of himself in the mirror. Eyes widening, he took a step closer to the mirror. His hand came up to his face.

 _Whiskers._ Plagg had given him _whiskers_. There were three on each side of his nose, sticking straight out. He could even move them when he twitched his nose! He started to snarl. Oh, when he got his hands on that cat…

Then he froze again. He hadn't noticed at first, but on closer inspection it became quite obvious. He leaned into the mirror a bit more, jaw dropping as he gaped at his reflection. _His mask wasn't there._

 **AN: I know I really shouldn't be starting a new story while writing my other one, but this idea has been keeping me up at night. I hope you enjoy! Please feel free to review! I love hearing what you guys think. My computer has been having problems lately, but I will try to update as soon as I can. Bye for now!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chat gawked at the mirror for a little while longer before the wheels in his mind started turning again. He started looking for any other differences in his suit. Nothing else looked different, well, except for _whiskers and no mask._

He was a very odd sight. His eyes were his Chat Noir ones, completely green and slitted. Seeing cat eyes and whiskers on a human face was off-putting, to say the least. He panicked more and more the longer he stared at his reflection. Taking some deep breaths, he tried to calm himself.

"Okay, okay, this is _fine_. No need to freak out, I'm sure everything will go back to normal if I de-transform. Then I can give that cat a piece of my mind," Adrien said to himself, pacing around the room. The worry was starting to subside.

Unfortunately, the peace was soon interrupted when he heard a knock on the door.

"Adrien? I heard you talking, is everything okay in there?" Nathalie's familiar voice asked him.

His mind stalled before he realized that he needed to reply.

"Uh, yeah, I'm doing fantastic! I was… talking to Nino on the phone! I just hung up," he said, giving a forced laugh.

"Okay then. While I'm here, I'll go ahead and give you your schedule for tomorrow."

"NO!" he yelled quickly, before backtracking. "I mean, just leave it outside the door. I'll get it later!"

There was silence on the other side of the door. He waited anxiously to see if Nathalie bought his lie. Finally she started to reply.

"Adrien, is there something you'd like to tell…" Nathalie began, but was cut off by a loud crash from outside. He heard her gasp loudly at the sound.

"Stay in there! I'm going to leave now, so lock the doors to your room. I think there's an akuma attack!" Nathalie exclaimed before running off.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard her footsteps become quieter. That had been a close one. He couldn't imagine Nathalie's reaction to his monstrous state.

Another crash from outside reminded him there was still a problem at hand. He knew he didn't have enough time to detransform, give Plagg some cheese, and transform again. However, he couldn't very well go out like _this_. There was still too big of a risk that he would get identified, even with his non-human eyes.

He started looking around his room frantically. There had to be something that could help him. After hastily rummaging around for a couple of minutes, he came across the solution. He still had a pair of oversized sunglasses from a past photo-shoot. He quickly put them on and ran to the mirror.

They covered around his eyes and most of his cheeks, basically the same area that his mask usually hid. The whiskers were still clearly noticeable, but he supposed that wasn't so bad. He took a breath and jumped out his window, taking off towards the direction of the crash.

Ladybug was already there, swinging her yoyo over and over again at the akuma. This akuma was called Showstopper, who appeared to be a teenage girl who hadn't gotten the part she wanted in a musical. Showstopper was now flying around on a giant gold star and throwing red roses at the people fleeing in terror.

Chat swooped in besides Ladybug and extended his baton, ready to fight.

"What took you so long? I was starting to wonder if you'd show up at all," Ladybug teased, looking over at her partner. Chat saw her eyes narrow in confusion when she saw his face.

"Uh Chat, why do you have whiskers?" she asked slowly. Her eyes widened when she took in the rest of his face. "Wait, why are you wearing sunglasses, where's your mask?!"

Chat gave her a sheepish smile. "I had some… _problems_ with my kwami. I'll explain everything later. Let's focus on fighting Showstopper for right now."

There was a small pause before Ladybug nodded and turned back to the akuma.

Showstopper was probably one of the weakest villains yet. Her roses didn't really do anything when they hit someone, except for the thorns being slightly painful. It didn't take long for Chat to use his cataclysm on the giant star Showstopper was riding, causing her to fall down. Ladybug quickly grabbed Showstopper's shooting star necklace and snapped the chain. Chat watched her as she purified the akuma and waved goodbye to the small white butterfly. She never had used her lucky charm, so she couldn't use miraculous cure. The akuma hadn't left much damage anyway, so it wasn't really a problem.

After taking care of everything, Ladybug marched over to him. "As much as I am dying to know why you have whiskers and no mask, you're about to change back," she stated, pointing at his beeping ring. "Let's meet back up at the Eiffel Tower in half an hour to talk. Who knows, maybe after transforming everything will go back to normal."

Chat nodded and grinned. "Of course, see you then Bugaboo."

Ladybug rolled her eyes at the nickname before swinging off into the distance.

After she was out of sight, Chat quickly ran to hide in a nearby alley, making sure he was out of the public eye before releasing his transformation.

Plagg flew out of his ring, and immediately started looking for cheese. "So, did you learn your lesson?" he asked obnoxiously, not even turning to face Adrien.

Adrien growled at his kwami. "Why did you do that?! My identity could have been jeopardized! All because you didn't get some cheese!"

"Kid, I don't think some harmless whiskers 'jeopardized your identity'. You're overreacting," Plagg responded, shaking his head. He still didn't look back at Adrien.

"It wasn't just the whiskers though! You got rid of my mask too!" Adrien huffed.

Plagg suddenly stopped in his search for cheese, his back still to Adrien. "Your mask wasn't there? I didn't mess with that!"

Adrien frowned, confused. "You mean you weren't the reason my mask didn't appear? Oh no, this is bad, this is _really_ bad. Where could it have gone?" Adrien asked desperately.

Plagg finally turned around to Adrien, eyes widening when he caught sight of his face. There, clear as day, was a familiar black mask covering Adrien Agreste's face.

"Uh, I think I know where your mask went…"

 **AN: I've decided to focus more on this story than the other one I'm writing. I enjoy writing this one more and I feel like I have more material for it. Thanks you all so much for all of the follows, favorites, and reviews! I love reading your comments! I will try to post the next chapter as soon as I can. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

_"_ _Uh, I think I know where your mask went…"_

Adrien blinked once before his face broke into a grin. "Great! Now everything can go back to normal! So, where is it?"

Plagg gave him hesitant look. "Kid, do you happen to have a mirror with you?"

Confused, Adrien shook his head. "No… but I do have a camera on my phone. Why, is there something on my face?"

Plagg let out a dry laugh. "Sure, you could say that,"

Adrien narrowed his eyes suspiciously at his kwami before pulling out his phone and opening the camera to front view.

Oh.

 _That's_ what Plagg meant.

"Plagg, do you care to explain why my mask is on my civilian self?" Adrien said slowly.

Plagg started to feel a little uneasy at his charge's unsettlingly calm reaction. "Uh, I don't know?"

He could basically see the steam start to come out of Adrien's ears. Yep, he definitely wasn't 'calm' anymore.

"You don't know, huh? Well, maybe _I_ won't know where the camembert is for a week. How does _that_ sound?" Adrien threatened darkly.

"No, not my camembert! Don't you remember, arguing over cheese is what caused this mess in the first place?!" Plagg said angrily, crossing his tiny arms.

Adrien huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He _supposed_ Plagg was right. "Ugh, fine, you get to keep your cheese. In return, you better help me get my mask back to normal."

Plagg nodded quickly. "Sure, whatever, as long as I get my precious camembert."

Shaking his head at his ridiculous kwami, Adrien checked his phone for the time. He froze when he saw he only had five minutes to meet back up with Ladybug.

"Ok Plagg, quick, eat your cheese so we can meet Ladybug at the Eiffel Tower," Adrien said, hastily taking a piece of camembert out of his pocket and handing it to Plagg. He eagerly grabbed it from Adrien's hand and practically inhaled it.

Adrien wasn't sure whether to feel digusted or impressed at his kwami's eating. He shook his head before pumping his fist into the air.

"Plagg, claws out!" he called, causing Plagg to groan as he was sucked into the ring. After he had transformed, Chat felt his face for his mask, just in case it had returned. He frowned grumpily when he only felt his sunglasses. They must have disappeared and reappeared with his transformation.

He let out a sigh before heading towards the Eiffel Tower to meet Ladybug. He was wondering how he would explain all this to her.

Finally, he arrived and ran over to Ladybug who was busy checking her yoyo compact for any akuma updates. He snuck up behind her.

"S'up My Lady?" he said, looking over her shoulder with a grin on his face.

She shrieked at the sudden noise and threw a wild punch at the 'intruder.'

"OW!" Chat yelped as her fist made contact, knocking off his sunglasses. He quickly brought his hands up to his face to cover his whiskers and eyes.

Ladybug let out a breath when she saw who it was. "Oh, Chat, it's just you. Sorry, I thought you were an akuma."

Chat merely grunted in response.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry. Happy?" Ladybug asked pointedly.

Chat, still not removing his hands from his face, nodded his head. She rolled her eyes.

"Chat, I know you're not hurt, take your hands off your face," she sighed. Chat started to protest, but didn't get to finish before Ladybug peeled away his hands. She screamed at the sight of his interesting new features.

"AHH! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR FACE?!"

Chat couldn't help but feel a little hurt at this remark.

"I tried to tell you not to remove my hands because you had knocked off my sunglasses when you punched me!"

Ladybug just stared at him in horror before taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, but you kind of look like a science experiment gone wrong. I mean, I knew from before you had whiskers, but cat eyes? I guess you've always had cat eyes, but without the mask it just looks… creepy."

Chat sniffed and looked away. "Well, at least _you're_ not the one dealing with this. By the way, I found out where my mask went."

Ladybug brightened. "Really? Great!" she smiled.

"It's on my civilian self."

Ladybug grimaced. "Not so great."

Chat shook his head in frustration. "I don't know what to do, people will be suspicious if they see civilian me with a black mask on," he sighed. Then, as if he just realized something, he furrowed his eyebrows and turned back to Ladybug. "Wait, how did you not recognize me without my mask?"

Ladybug shrugged. "The cat eyes don't make you look very human. We also probably don't even know each other in real life either. There are thousands of people in Paris, what are the odds that you are someone I would recognize?"

He nodded thoughtfully. "That's true. I always imagined we'd know each other outside of the masks, but I guess not. I still thought that you would be more freaked out over seeing me without my mask, though."

"It's not like I know your name or anything. Keep on wearing your sunglasses, just in case something else goes wrong. By the way, do you know why your mask is even doing this in the first place?" she asked.

Chat seemed a little embarrassed. "I, um, kind of got into a fight with my kwami. He only meant to give me whiskers as a punishment, but something happened to my mask as well. He claims not to know why it got messed up."

Ladybug giggled. "Your kwami seems very different than mine." She glanced down at her yoyo to see what time it was. "Well, I better head back. Don't want to miss dinner! See you later, Chat," Ladybug called as she swung away.

Chat just waved as she retreated into the distance. He then turned around and picked up his sunglasses. After brushing the dirt off of them, he placed them over his eyes and started on his journey back home.

After he snuck into his room through his open window, he released his transformation. He walked towards his mirror and sighed when he still saw a masked Adrien Agreste staring back at him. "Oh Plagg, this is a nightmare. I just about scared off Ladybug with how horrible I look," he said quietly.

Plagg felt a little guilty looking at the hopeless boy. "Uh, it's okay kid, everything will turn out alright in the end," he said awkwardly. He never had been any good at comforting his Chat Noirs.

Adrien nodded solemnly before flopping onto his bed. He brought a hand up to his mask. An idea came to him. He started to pull at his mask.

Plagg looked at him in wonder. "Kid, what are you doing?"

"Taking my mask off, _obviously_ ," Adrien grunted, yanking at his face.

Plagg snorted. "I don't think it works like that …"

Adrien shot him a look. "Well, it's worth a try. Hang on for a minute Plagg, I'm going to go get a spatula. This mask is coming off, one way or another."

Plagg facepalmed.

 **AN: Woohoo, new chapter! Thank you all so much for reading and for the favorites, follows, and reviews! I love reading them, they make my day. I probably won't update so quickly, as I have school, but hopefully the next chapter will be up soon. Stay tuned!**


	4. Chapter 4

Nothing was working.

Plagg had tried to tell him it was a useless endeavor from the beginning, but that didn't stop Adrien from testing out various bad ideas on his face. That didn't stop him at all.

He had tried spatulas, forks, knives, and scissors. The last two hadn't ended so well. He had the cuts to show for it.

Then he had tried using his hands and feet to get that mask off. All that had accomplished was him acquiring a limp because he stretched his leg too much and pulled a hamstring.

If he could just get his hands on a crowbar, or something along those lines, then he was sure he could get rid of the mask. He started looking for a new tool to use.

After not finding anything new, Adrien finally gave up. He had spent _hours_ pulling and prying at his face, but that stupid mask just wouldn't come off!

Now he was currently flopped out on his couch, groaning dramatically as he put band-aids over his cuts. Plagg rolled his eyes.

"Kid, you must have the thickest skull out of everyone in the world. I've told you over and over again, the mask is _magic_. Designed only so that it can only be removed _magically_. In other words, you've wasted hours accomplishing nothing but being an idiot."

Adrien gave Plagg his best death glare. "I don't think I'm the _only_ idiot here, Plagg. You were the one who messed with my costume in the first place," he huffed, applying the final band-aid.

"Fine, I'm a level one idiot, you're a level two idiot. Happy?" Plagg sighed.

Adrien shrugged. "That sounds about right. So yeah, I'm happy."

"Okay, now that we have the idiot levels figured out, what are you going to do about school tomorrow?" Plagg asked, turning serious.

Adrien froze at that. "Uhhhhhhhh…"

Plagg stared at him blankly. "Adrien, is this your special way of telling me you forgot you had school tomorrow?"

Adrien didn't respond. His mind was failing.

Plagg heaved a sigh and brought a hand up to his head. "I think there are going to be some changes to the idiot levels. In fact, you just might have broken the charts."

At that remark, Adrien snapped out of his stupor and scowled at his kwami. "I forgot I had school tomorrow because I was too busy trying to get my mask off! Which, by the way, you were absolutely no help with."

Shaking his head, Plagg started to pace back and forth on the table. "We don't have time to play the blame game, okay? Besides, it was fun watching you hit yourself in the face with that book."

"Hey, that was one time! I thought maybe hitting the mask would knock it off. It was worth a shot," Adrien explained defensively.

"Whatever, let's get back to the real issue. You have school tomorrow. You have a black mask stuck on your face. Your classmates will wonder _why_ you have a black mask stuck on your face. Do you follow me so far?" Plagg asked slowly.

Adrien growled. "Yes, yes, I follow! You don't need to talk to me like I'm a _moron_. I'm an _idiot_ , not a _moron_."

"Fine, if it makes you feel better, you're not a moron. However, you do need to think of a plan for tomorrow. Maybe you could pretend to be sick?"

Adrien shook his head. "No, I'd still have to go to school. No such thing as sick days when you're an Agreste."

Plagg scrunched his face up in thought. "Could you say you hurt yourself? I mean, it's sort of true, you did scratch up your face pretty badly trying to get that mask off. You also already have a limp."

"If I say that I hurt myself Nathalie will take me to the doctor. Plus Father would get upset at me and definitely see my mask when he checks in on me. I guess I have no choice but to go to school tomorrow," Adrien said, frowning. This kind of situation could only be described as being in between a rock and a hard place.

Plagg noticed his chosen's dejected behavior and flew up to him. "Hey, maybe it won't be so bad. You can make up some sort of excuse, I'm sure your classmates will believe you. If they don't, it doesn't matter. Worst comes to worst, they find out you're Chat Noir. No big deal," Plagg reassured him.

Nodding, Adrien stood up. He felt a little better now. "You're right. Although, I will try my best to keep my identity a secret. Now I just have to think of a way to hide my mask," Adrien said, looking around the room for answers.

His gaze landed on his sunglasses again. They were on top of the table he had placed them on after he had released his transformation. "I can use those sunglasses again, but they won't quite cover all of my mask," he noted, picking them up. He limped around as searched his room for something to go with the sunglasses. After coming up empty, he moved to his closet and started rummaging around in there. Finally he found something. Something his father _definitely_ wouldn't approve of.

There it was, in all of its glory. He had found a giant cowboy hat.

 **AN: Sorry for this chapter being a bit shorter than the other ones. I have a plan, trust me. As usual, thank you guys so much for the follows, favorites, and reviews! They really mean a lot to me. I don't know if I'll have time to update again this weekend, we'll see. Peace out!**


	5. Chapter 5

Plagg flew up to Adrien. "Any luck in finding something for… Oh you have got to be kidding me," Plagg deadpanned, noticing the cowboy hat.

Adrien tore his eyes away from the hat and shook his head at Plagg. "Nope, I am most definitely _not_ kidding. I'm choosing to believe that this hat was placed in my closet for a reason. I have zero recollection of ever owning or buying this thing. The only answer is that fate must be trying to tell me that I am destined to wear this hat to school tomorrow," Adrien stated triumphantly.

Plagg couldn't tell if his chosen was joking. "Fate must hate you, kid, if it's making you wear that thing. Seriously, that hat is huge! It would be better to just fess up to being Chat Noir."

Adrien glared at his kwami. "Fate doesn't hate me. This _marvelous_ hat is the answer to all my prayers. Besides, I thought you wanted me to keep my identity secret."

Shrugging, Plagg landed on Adrien's shoulder. "I don't really care one way or another. The whole secret identities thing is more Tikki's rule."

Adrien tilted his head at the unfamiliar name. "Who's Tikki?"

"Ladybug's kwami. She's about my size, but she's red and black with bright blue eyes," Plagg replied casually.

Adrien blinked. It never really crossed his mind that Ladybug had a kwami as well. It did make since though, how else would she transform?

Plagg moved from Adrien's shoulder and flew to check on the time. "Okay kid, I think it's time you get some sleep. Maybe tomorrow a better solution will present itself."

Adrien grinned. "Come on Plagg, it can't get much better than a _cowboy hat_."

Plagg sighed. "Go to sleep, kid."

The next day Adrien shot out of bed at the sound of his alarm. He ran to the mirror first, just in case his mask had magically disappeared. Unfortunately, that was not the case. It was still there, as noticeable as ever. Adrien just shrugged to himself. He was starting to make peace with the whole thing.

After brushing his teeth and combing his hair, he started to get dressed. He slipped on his sunglasses and the piece de resistance, the cowboy hat. Plagg groaned at his fixed it on his head.

He was just about to leave his room when he realized something _very, very_ important. Nathalie was going to see him leave the house in a giant cowboy hat. Gorilla was going to drive him to school in a giant cowboy hat.

Welp, this wasn't good.

"Uh Plagg, I think I have a problem."

Plagg squinted his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I have to somehow get through Nathalie and Gorilla while wearing a huge hat. How am I supposed to do that?"

Plagg shrugged lazily. "Just hope for the best, I guess. If you don't leave right now you'll be late."

Adrien grimaced. Plagg was right. The only thing he could do now was act like everything was normal. He opened the door and made his way downstairs.

He was almost out the door when someone spoke. "Adrien, what is that monstrosity on your head?"

Adrien froze when he heard the familiar voice. He didn't even have to look behind to know that Gabriel Agreste himself was giving him and his hat a cold glare.

"Uh, that's a good question, Father. Ummm… I heard from Nino that cowboy hats are in right now? Yeah, that's right! Cowboy hats are the next big thing!" Adrien said shakily, turning around to face his father.

Surprise flashed across Gabriel Agreste's face. "Really? I can't say I've ever heard of this trend. I suppose your little friend Nino _would_ know these sorts of things, what with his constant use of slang and nicknames."

Adrien felt relieved that his father bought his lie. "Oh yeah, Nino knows basically everything about us young people. He says he wouldn't be surprised that if in a week all of the major fashion industries are selling cowboy hats."

Gabriel only nodded his head at this. "I see. Perhaps I should go ahead and start the process of making these hats to be the first company to sell them. Adrien, when you get to school, tell Nino that he is now my assistant in teen clothing." With that Gabriel sharply turned around and retreated to his office.

Adrien couldn't believe it. Not only had he managed to get away with wearing a cowboy hat to school, he had just gotten his father to approve of Nino. He grinned as he left the house and opened the door to the limo. The Gorilla had taken one glance at Adrien before deciding that it wasn't worth it to even ask. He stepped on the gas and started on the fastest route to school, seeing as they were already behind schedule.

As the limo pulled up to school, Adrien took a deep breath. He hoped there wouldn't be too many questions on why he was dressed so oddly, but he figured that wouldn't be the case. He squared his shoulders and left the car.

Gasps came from all around. People gawked as he made his way through the school. Some students even took out their phones and starting flashing photos. Adrien tried to give a confident smile, like his hat was some bold fashion statement. Finally, he reached the classroom and took his seat next to Nino.

"Hey dude, what's up… bro, what are you wearing?!" Nino's welcoming smile fell as he stared at the hat. A horrified look crossed his face.

"I'm wearing the next big thing, _obviously_. Cowboy hats are taking the world by storm. By the way, you're my father's new assistant in the teen department," Adrien responded calmly.

Nino's jaw fell. "Are you serious?! I thought you're father hated me."

"Well, he thinks that you're up to date with what's popular with teens, so I guess he doesn't hate you," Adrien shrugged.

Nino gave a happy nod. "Oh, okay. I guess I have a job now! Cool!"

Adrien grinned. It was nice seeing his friend so happy. He knew that Nino had been looking for a job lately, and now he had one he would probably do well in. Adrien leaned back in his seat and answered the millions of questions people had about his sunglasses and hat.

Right before the bell rang, the door crashed open and very ragged looking Marinette stumbled in. "I'M HERE EVERYONE AND THE BELL HASN'T RUNG YET SO NO NEED TO COUNT ME AS LATE!" she proclaimed loudly.

The teacher just sighed and pointed at Marinette's desk. Marinette took the hint and walked quietly to her seat. Just as she sat down next to Alya, she looked up and shrieked at Adrien's hat. "A COWBOY REPLACED ADRIEN!"

Adrien flinched before turning around and smiling warmly up at Marinette. She took a deep intake of breath before speaking. "O-oh Adrien, you it's! I MEAN, it's you! I just wasn't expecting that hat, **_not that there's anything wrong with your hat_**! It's beautiful! I could write a book on how amazing it is! Hehehe…" she laughed sheepishly.

Adrein just watched her in confusion. Out of the corner of he saw Alya facepalm. "Uh, thank you Marinette? I'm glad you like my hat, my father wanted me to wear it. He thinks they will be very popular with people our age soon."

Marinette nodded quickly. "Ah yes, I see. If I was your father I'd want you to wear it too! Not that I am your father or anything! Man, I wish I could speak better around you. WAIT, DID I JUST SAY THAT OUT LOUD?! Oh gosh, I'm a mess." Marinette ended the conversation by burying her face in her hands.

Adrien shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He wasn't really sure how to respond. "Don't say that! You're not a mess Marinette! I…" Adrien was about to say more but the teacher tapped his shoulder. He turned around.

"Mr. Agreste, do mind if I continue with my teaching? I would want to interrupt your little chat with Miss Marinette," the teacher said coolly. Marinette just squeaked in response.

"No, madame. I'll be quiet from now on," Adrien sighed.

The teacher just nodded before walking away and resumed talking about American Literature.

After a while, Marinette finally removed her hands from her face. She stared at Adrien's cowboy hat. She had never heard of giant hats being a new trend. She figured she would know, after all, she was an aspiring fashion designer. Something about the whole thing just didn't make sense.

For some reason, the memory of her encounter with him from a couple of minutes ago came flooding back. She remembered that the hat was not the only strange thing he was wearing, he was also wearing sunglasses. Which made absolutely no sense, being that they were _indoors._ She also could have sworn he had a few faded scratches on his face as well.

She shook her head in frustration. What did this mean? Was he trying to hide something? If so, what? She couldn't stand the thought of Adrien possibly being injured.

She came to a decision. During lunch, she was going to get over her stutter and confront him about it.

She wouldn't give up until she got some real answers too.

 **AN: Sorry for the late update! This week turned out to be busier than I expected. I tried to make this chapter longer because of the last one being so short. Please feel free to review, comments are always greatly appreciated! Also, I'd like to thank you all for reading, following, and favoriting! It means a lot. I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter! Bye until next weekend!**


	6. Chapter 6

Marinette peered over the bush she was hiding behind. There he was, Adrien Agreste, laughing at something Nino was saying. They were sitting at a secluded picnic table eating their lunches out of brown paper bags. Marinette squinted her eyes. She needed to talk to Adrien, but it didn't seem like Nino would be leaving anytime soon. The gears in her mind were whirling, spinning around to find a solution. Her gaze landed on Alya who was walking outside to enjoy her lunch break. She grinned.

As quietly as she could manage, she crept over to Alya and grabbed on to her shirt, dragging the poor girl down to her level. Alya let out a surprised noise as she landed on the ground. Her head whipped around to see what had pulled her down. She just groaned when she saw a triumphant looking Marinette.

"Girl, what are you doing hiding behind a bush? I swear, your stalking is getting more and more scary everyday…"

Marinette gave a sheepish smile. "I want to ask Adrien why he's been acting so weird. It's not stalking if you do it for the welfare of others. Also, be a little more quiet, would you?"

Alya sighed. "You're impossible, but sure, I'll be more quiet. By the way, I've noticed Adrien acting up too. Maybe asking him isn't such a bad idea. So, why do you need me to ask Adrien if he's alright?"

"I need you to get rid of Nino."

Alya's eyes widened. "Marinette, that sounds creepy."

Marinette shook her head. "No, I don't mean **_get rid of him_** , just… divert his attention for a little bit."

Alya exhaled a sigh of relief. "Okay, that doesn't seem so scary. You had me worried there, Mari. So yeah, I can distract Nino.."

Smiling, Marinette threw her arms around her best friend. "Oh, thank you Alya!"

"No problem, girl. Make sure not to stutter when you talk to Adrien." With that, Alya stood up and walked over to Nino.

Marinette started to feel the nerves kick in. What if Adrien didn't want to talk? What if she offended him? Oh no, there was no way she could do this…

Marinette's thoughts were interrupted when Alya gave her a thumbs-up. She began to lead Nino away from Adrien, chatting to him along the way. They were far away enough now that they probably couldn't hear anything she would say to Adrien. Perfect.

Summoning all of her courage, Marinette puffed her chest out and started walking over to Adrien. As she was stepping over the bush, she locked eyes with a confused Adrien. She froze with one leg in the air. Before she could say anything, Adrien asked her the question she was dreading.

"Marinette, why were you behind a bush?"

Marinette's mind stalled. "Uh, I was just… admiring it! Yeah, I think it's a very rare species of bushes!"

Adrien looked impressed. "Wow, I didn't know you were such an expert on bushes."

Marinette nodded quickly as she put her leg down and walked over to Adrien. "Oh yes, bushes are my second passion, fashion being my first," Marinette fibbed before remembering why she was talking to Adrien in the first place. "Enough about me though, I had a question to ask you."

Adrien raised his eyebrows. "Oh okay, what is it?"

As Marinette took a breath to speak, she looked into Adrien's eyes again. Those deep green eyes always seemed to mess with her head. They seemed so expressive, so understanding. Suddenly, her stutter came back stronger than ever.

"U-uh, I w-wanted to k-know okay if you were? I mean, i-if okay were you? Wait, that's not it either…" Marinette groaned. She had to get a grip on herself!

She needed to see if Adrien was okay. She needed to know why there were scratches all over his face. She needed to hear the truth. She needed answers.

She took a deep breath to soothe herself. No more stuttering.

"Okay, here's the thing, Adrien. I noticed that there are scratches and bandaids on your face and was wondering why," Marinette said calmly, although she was internally squealing that she didn't mess up her little speech.

Now it was Adrien's turn to stutter. "O-oh, I have scratches on my face? H-huh, I guess I didn't even notice! How crazy is that?" he laughed nervously, hoping Marinette would buy his lie. Much to his dismay, she didn't. In fact, she had a deep frown on her face.

"Adrien, if you didn't know there were scratches on your face, why'd you put bandaids on them? I'm not stupid, I know when I'm being lied to," Marinette warned, narrowing her eyes.

Adrien had never seen Marinette like this before. The look on her face was a mixture of concern and danger.

He waved his hands in front of him frantically. "No no no, I never thought you were stupid!" he reassured her.

Marinette crossed her arms. "Then why did you lie to me?"

Adrien didn't know how to reply. He couldn't tell her the truth, he couldn't tell anyone the truth. He needed to think up a believable alibi. After some careful consideration, one finally came to him. "I lied because… I was embarrassed. You see, I tripped over a black cat yesterday. It attacked me, which is why there are scratches and bandaids on my face. I also got a black eye, so I'm wearing sunglasses and this hat to cover it up," Adrien said smoothly. Being Chat Noir had forced him to work on his lying skills. It came in handy in situations like this. Marinette seemed to believe him.

Marinette felt a little bad. She was painfully clumsy, and she got embarrassed too. Who was she to go marching in scolding Adrien Agreste for lying? She lied practically everyday to kept being Ladybug a secret.

"Oh, I'm s-sorry Adrien. I w-was just worried, I didn't mean to make you feel embarrassed or uncomfortable." Inside her head she cursed herself for bringing back the stutter.

Adrien sighed. So she did believe him. "No worries, Marinette, I'm fine."

Marinette nodded. "Good. Hey, why don't I check up in your black eye? My grandma taught me some medical tricks, maybe I can help!" Marinette exclaimed eagerly.

Adrien paled. She couldn't check up on his nonexistent black eye, she'd see his mask! "YOU REALLY DON'T NEED TO DO THAT!" he shouted anxiously, backing away from Marinette. It was too late. Marinette's curious hands had already fixed themselves on his sunglasses. She pulled them off and knocked off his hat while doing so. His hands flew up to his face.

"Come on Adrien, I'm sure it's not that bad! If you let me see I can help you!"

Adrien shook his head furiously. "No, Marinette, you don't understand!"

"Adrien, it's fine! I know what I'm doing! Now, if you will just remove your hands from your face…" Marinette said patiently. Adrien didn't make an effort to move. She frowned.

Adrien felt her hands wrap around his. Before he could protest, she pried his hands off his face with an amazing amount of strength for someone her size.

He heard her gasp. Cautiously, he opened his eyes. Marinette was staring at his face with a horrified look. He squirmed in his seat, waiting for her next words. Maybe she would think he was cosplaying! Maybe she would think it was fake!

"Chat Noir?"

He should have known his luck wasn't that good.

 **AN: Yay, new chapter! I am currently sick, but that's not such a bad thing because it cleared up my schedule, which gives me time to update! Just so you guys know, the story doesn't end here. I like to end my chapters in cliffhangers, not my stories. The next chapter should probably be out within a week. Thank you all so much for the favorites, follows, and reviews! I know I've said it a lot, but they really do seem to brighten up my week. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

Adrien felt his heart drop to his stomach. How was he supposed to respond? He knew he had to think of something soon because Marinette's eyes were becoming wider by the second. They were basically the size of saucers now. He quickly looked around to see if anyone had seen him without his hat and glasses. Thankfully, no one had, Marinette being the only excuse, so he hastily put the sunglasses back on. He looked back at Marinette, who was still staring at him with her jaw hanging. He let out a nervous laugh, feeling a bit uncomfortable under her disbelieving stare.

"Chat Noir's here? Where is he?" he tried. He never was very good at feigning innocence. He seriously doubted she would fall for his attempt at being naive.

Marinette lifted her finger to point at him, her eyes not leaving his for a minute. Those eyes seemed to burn holes in his very soul.

Adrien gulped. He could feel his sweat dropping onto his lap. She was too smart for his lies. He should have known.

"Y-you're Chat?" she asked quietly, as if not daring to ask to loudly. Her eyes held an unreadable emotion.

Adrien felt his shoulders slump in defeat. Nodding slowly, he looked at his feet. Oh, Ladybug was going to be so mad that a civilian had found out his identity. Images of her angry face were already forming in his mind.

He had to say, it could be way worse, Ladybug had to trust Marinette at least a little to have her work with him against Evillustrator. Besides, Marinette seemed like she would be good with secrets. He didn't know her that well, but he did know she would always do her best to help someone out. She might not like him very much, as obviously proven from her stutter, but she would probably keep quiet about his alter ego.

After Adrien's silent confirmation, Marinette's eyes bugged out even more. The weight of the situation finally set in. **_Chat Noir was Adrien_**.

The amiable, compassionate, exuberant boy she fought alongside with was also the quiet boy who sat in front of her. He was the generous boy who gave her his umbrella. He was the smart, sincere, and wonderful boy who she's had a crush on ever since the beginning of the school year. Oh, her poor heart couldn't handle this.

Then, she realized something.

She had **_kissed Adrien_** on Valentine's Day when they were fighting Dark Cupid.

She then proceeded to do the only thing her mind and vocal chords would allow her to do.

She screamed.

Adrien flinched as Marinette's high-pitched shriek filled the quiet schoolyard. After she was finished, worried murmurs sounded from all around them, unable to locate the source of the scream. Some even tried to call out to her. Marinette yelped when she realized what she had done.

"I'M OKAY, DON'T WORRY! I JUST SAW… A BLACK CAT! IT STARTLED ME, THAT'S ALL!" she yelled back to avoid anyone checking in on her.

Adrien looked at her sadly. Did she really hate him so much from the gum incident that being Chat Noir just made it worse? He knew that Ladybug was the real hero, but he thought that maybe Marinette would like him more if she knew he at least helped a little in saving Paris. He looked at his feet dejectedly. He had been so wrong.

Marinette covered her face with her hands. Oh gosh, what was she going to do? She couldn't tell him she was Ladybug, he'd be so disappointed that his amazing partner was just plain old Marinette. After summoning some courage, she finally removed her hands from her head and looked up at Adrien. Her heart broke at what she saw.

He had the most depressed look on his face. He probably thought that **_he_** had somehow disappointed **_her_**. She wanted to reach out to him, to tell him that wasn't the case, that she wouldn't want her partner to be anyone else.

Although she restrained herself from wrapping him in a fierce hug, she did grab his shoulder. He looked up at the touch. His breath caught when he saw Marinette deeply looking into his eyes with a small smile on her lips.

"I'm so sorry, I think you got the wrong idea. Adrien, you make an amazing Chat Noir. I honestly can't think of anyone else who I'd rather be Chat. I know my scream might have been a little hurtful, but that's not how I meant it. I was just… surprised, that's all," Marinette said soothingly, warmth radiating from her eyes and smile.

Adrien didn't know that Marinette could speak so well. She always stuttered around him, and he had just guessed it was because she was still mad at him from the beginning of the school year. Maybe that wasn't the case. Maybe there was more to Marinette Dupain-Cheng than he had previously thought.

There was one thing that was bugging him. Why had she immediately assumed he was Chat Noir? He could have been cosplaying or just goofing around for all she knew. He didn't even have his usual cat eyes that went with the mask.

It wasn't like anyone knew that Chat Noir's mask was acting up either, well, except for Ladybug of course. If she was the only one who knew, why was Marinette so quick to realize he was Chat Noir?

It just didn't make sense to him. He knew that Marinette was really intelligent, maybe she just figured he looked like Chat Noir? It confused him that no one else had realized he was Chat Noir.

How could you not put two and two together when he had the same hair color, same build, and basically the same eye color as Chat Noir? He knew if he every saw anyone that looked like Ladybug he would figure it out. He liked to think that he had a knack for that kind of thing.

The only problem was that he had never noticed anyone that looked like Ladybug.

But he was getting off topic now.

That was how he had decided that Marinette just must be really observant. Maybe he would ask her about it later, but for right now he felt satisfied with his conclusion. He then realized he had gone about a minute without replying, and Marinette's smile was starting to look more worried. Gosh, she was so caring.

"T-thanks, Marinette. T-that means a lot t-to me!" he spluttered out, face red.

Wait, he had a stutter now?

And why was he blushing?

 **AN: Thank you all for the get well wishes! I am feeling much better this week. I apologize the slightly late update, while this chapter is a bit short, I wanted to make it as good as possible. Also, thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! The last chapter got many comments, all of which made me smile. Please, feel free to leave more if you want, I love reading them! You guys are funny! Anyways, thanks for reading and be prepared for more drama next weekend!**


	8. Chapter 8

Finally, the bell rang for the end of lunch. Adrien awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "Hey M-Marinette, uh, you'll k-keep this a secret r-right? Ladybug doesn't really w-want anyone to know…"

Marinette just nodded, not noticing his stuttering. "Of course, I won't tell anyone. I promise!" she reassured him. For some reason, Adrien being Chat had helped a lot with her lack of articulation.

Adrien looked up and flashed her a smile. "Thanks Marinette, you're the best!" he said smoothly. He gave himself a mental pat on the back for that.

Marinette blushed. Nope, his compliments still made her turn to goo. Some things never change.

As they headed back to class, Alya and Nino caught up with them. After Alya shot Nino a look, he pulled Adrien away from the girls, claiming that he wanted to show him a new song he was working on. Alya turned to Marinette once both boys were out of earshot.

"So, how did it go with Adrien? You can tell me the truth, I told Nino to distract him so I could get the scoop." Marinette knew that Alya was doing her investigator pose. This consisted of a quirked eyebrow, arms crossed over her chest, and a jutted hip. Marinette had always suspected that the thick glasses the aspiring reporter wore helped her see through lies.

That really didn't work well for Marinette, because she practically sat on a throne of lies.

"It went well." Marinette said simply. Being vague was probably the best way to answer Alya's questions.

Alya frowned slightly at the short answer. "What was making him act all weird?" she asked.

Marinette gulped. She couldn't very well say that he was Chat Freaking Noir and his bad luck magically confused his mask. She also knew that lying was futile. Up until now she had managed to fool Alya, but her best friend was getting more and more skeptical about her excuses.

"He, um, wanted to hide his face?" she replied nervously, twiddling with her fingers. That wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the full truth.

Alya was starting to look annoyed. "And _why_ was he hiding his face?" she persisted. She was tapping her foot impatiently now. That wasn't good.

"Oh, uh, he… got a black eye! Yeah, that's it!" she exclaimed. That was the best she could come up with. It wasn't _too_ far from the truth either.

Alya's eyes widened. "Woah, Pretty Boy got a black eye?! How'd _that_ happen?"

Marinette shrugged. Honestly, she didn't know how any of this had happened.

Alya grabbed the blunette's hand and started dragging her over to Adrien. Marinette whipped her head over to Alya, panic spreading through her.

"Uh, Alya, what are we doing?"

Alya kept on walking, not tearing her focused gaze on Adrien for one moment. "We are figuring out how he got a black eye, obviously."

Marinette started shaking her head violently. "OH NO NO NO, I DON'T THINK THAT'S A GOOD IDEA!" she protested loudly. She tried digging her heels in the ground, but Alya plowed on, undeterred.

Adrien and Nino looked surprised as they saw a crazed Alya pulling Marinette behind her. The poor girl looked like she was trying to escape Alya's iron clutch.

"Hey Agreste, a little birdie told me you had a black eye. Care to explain?" Alya quizzed.

Confused, Adrien glanced at Marinette. She nodded shyly, as if to say just go with it.

"Uh, yeah, I have a black eye?"

"That sounds like a question."

Adrien laughed sheepishly. "No, no, I have a black eye! I got it from… fencing? Yeah, some guy stabbed me in the eye!"

Alya didn't look convinced. "I know the tips of the foils are covered so you don't cut anyone, but don't you also wear headgear to prevent face injuries?"

"Yeah, that's the reason I didn't lose my eye completely!"

Alya nodded slowly. "Oookkkaaayy, that makes… sense, I guess. Can I see this black eye?"

Adrien brought his hands up to his glasses defensively. He had already seen how this had ended last time, and he didn't really want a repeat of _that_. "Oh, no, hehe, I don't think that's a good idea… it's really gross looking!"

Taking a step back, Alya pulled a face. "That's fine, I believe you, no need to go into detail!"

Adrien laughed while giving an inward sigh of relief. Crisis averted.

While the rest of the school day went as normally as it could, Adrien's evening was… eventful, to say the least.

First, his father had installed a new rule. He was now to do his homework in Nathalie's presence, the reason being that he had forgotten to complete a couple of assignments. This was no easy task, given that he had to wear sunglasses the whole time. The dark-tinted lenses made it impossible for him to read his physics work. He had to ask Nathalie a couple of times to read a sentence aloud for him. He was pretty sure she had scheduled an eye exam for him shortly after he finished.

Then, he had a surprise photoshoot. That went horribly, seeing as he had to wear a giant hat and sunglasses the entire time. The photographer had threatened him, saying that if he didn't take that ridiculous getup off that instant, he would have no more breaks for the next ten photoshoots. Adrien accepted this fate, knowing that keeping his identity a secret was far more important.

Well, at least to Ladybug.

Speaking of Ladybug, that brought him to the third thing, that he was currently doing right now. Patrol.

He tuned back in to what Ladybug was saying. It sounded like something along the lines of patrolling less? The thought of that saddened him. It seemed like he never saw her anymore. It would be easier if he knew who she was, then he could hang out with her outside the mask.

Suddenly, memories of lunch came flooding back. After Ladybug had finished her rant, he took a deep breath before speaking.

"Uh, Ladybug, there's something I need to tell you," he started nervously. Ladybug glanced over at him, and he knew he had her attention.

"Today, at school, a girl reached for my glasses and hat. I tried to stop her, but she managed to knock them off and found out I was Chat Noir." He already had his eyes shut tightly and shoulders tensed, ready for the lecture he was about to receive. Much to his surprise, Ladybug only said one word in response.

"Okay."

His eyes shot open and he turned towards Ladybug, disbelief plain on his face. "Okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Ladybug paused for a minute before speaking again. "Do you trust this girl?" she asked.

Chat nodded vigorously. "Oh yes. If anyone, other you, had to find out, I would want it to be her."

A small smile and blush on her face, Ladybug cleared her throat and looked away. Guilt spread through her. She hadn't told him her identity. She couldn't, it would ruin everything. She knew it was selfish, but she liked how things were right now.

But wasn't that unfair of her? Wasn't she being a coward, so afraid to try something new that she might end up hurting her partner?

Chat must have seen the guilt on her face and mistook it for worry. "Relax, Ladybug, this girl is completely trustworthy. Her name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and I would consider her one of my closest friends. It feels good to have no more lies between us, you know?"

More guilt.

 **AN: Sorry for the late update! I really meant to update yesterday, but I couldn't because I share this computer with my mom and my computer time revolves around hers, as it should. Thankfully, I didn't have school today because of President's Day, so I had some time to work on this chapter. To be honest, I have no idea how many more chapters there are going to be. I have the rest of the story planned out, just not written. I would like to thank you all for the comments. They were especially sweet and funny, and they all made me grin as I snuck peeks at my phone during school. Thank you all for the follows and favorites too! Again, they mean so much. Please, feel free to comment about the story and/or your Valentine's day! Mine was pretty boring, like any other day. Bye for now!**


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